Good-enough boats versus borrowed perfection

In this assessment, British and American builders generally worked with available systems, while Italian MAS boats improved an established design judged adequate for the mission. German Schnellboote pursued engineering excellence, but the resulting demands limited production. Japan faced a further difficulty when it pursued foreign technical approaches instead of developing its own industrial strengths. The Type 14 offered one possible basis for steady enlargement and improvement. The Fairmile D illustrates the value of accepting an imperfect all-round design: it lacked exceptional speed but could carry unusually heavy gun loads for its size.